Making It Awkward

Jessica Wilson, MS RD

What's going on with health and food policy right now? Each week dietitian and author Jessica Wilson shares her conversations with experts in their field or on their farm and figures out how we got here and why. Jessica has followed the ultra-processed food hysteria to trad wife pipeline and the direct path from COVID conspiracies to RFK Jr to the current administration. From her conversation with the Make America Healthy Again spokesperson to the Oregon beef farmer this podcast connects it all. Listen each week as she brings something new to the conversation and at times makes it awkward.

  1. What Mike Tyson's MAHA Super Bowl Ad is Really Saying; with Tigress Osborn, NAAFA Executive Director

    5 DAYS AGO

    What Mike Tyson's MAHA Super Bowl Ad is Really Saying; with Tigress Osborn, NAAFA Executive Director

    Tigress Osborn, Executive Director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance returns to the show to discuss Mike Tyson's Super Bowl ad for MAHA and the inverted food triangle. The fat shaming ad is part of an ongoing appeal to the manly man, providing us with boxer Mike Tyson telling us about how he wanted to kill himself when he was fat, and telling us all that "something needs to be done about processed food in this country." It's an ad for realfood.gov and was directed by Brett Ratner who directed the Amazon financed film Melania. Tony Lyons created the ad and financed it through the nonprofit  MAHA Center. Tyson has since been at press conferences with RFK Jr and Brook Rollins, the head of the USDA.  There are official government AI generated images of MAHA leaders with Tyson's face tattoo.  Tyson joined Calley Means and RFK Jr for a Fox News interview.  Donut violence video Mashable article: We need to talk about that Mike Tyson Super Bowl ad Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson   Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

    1h 3m
  2. Parasociality, Straight Women's Sexuality, and the Cultural Response to Heated Rivalry with Lindsay Lee Wallace

    12 FEB

    Parasociality, Straight Women's Sexuality, and the Cultural Response to Heated Rivalry with Lindsay Lee Wallace

    Lindsay Lee Wallace returns to talk about why she thinks women who have sex with men are drawn to Heated Rivalry. She wrote in, Yearning and Submission in 'Heated Rivalry', "Women who yearn and submit are often main characters—but they are simultaneously seen as frivolous and typical. Their yearning and submission aren't treated as meaningful, or as specific to them and their relationships… So it can feel easier and freer to step back from the equation entirely. Watch two men yearn for one another, which maintains their masculinity."    Lindsay and Jessica talk about that article and explore additional topics including parasocial relationships, what makes Heated Rivalry simply good television, and the pop culture pundit panic in late 2023 when a UCLA survey found that Gen Z wanted less sex in media.    Intimacy coordination Dance parties Heated Rivalry made in Canada  Good things that happened because of Heated Rivalry Rachel Reid receiving Parkinson's treatment Rachel Reid   Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

    53 min
  3. Heated Rivalry: Queerness, Coming Out and the Hags That Move the Story Along with Blake Flaugher, MPH

    5 FEB

    Heated Rivalry: Queerness, Coming Out and the Hags That Move the Story Along with Blake Flaugher, MPH

    Blake Flaugher, MPH returns to the show to chat about all things Heated Rivalry. He shares some topics that have been left out of the discourse, and teaches us about the importance of seeing romance in gay relationships, the role of hags in gay men's lives, and representation of bottoming. Blake and Jessica share their coming out stories, discuss if we're beyond conversations about coming out,  and their thoughts on body norms in the show. The topics they discuss today will add to the story if you've watched it, it will give you a unique lens should you choose to watch it and will teach you things about queer culture if you never plan to watch.   Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson   Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies  Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO. you can find me on IG at.

    59 min
  4. Bonus Episode: Community Commitment and MAHA Hypocrisy; F*** ICE

    29 JAN

    Bonus Episode: Community Commitment and MAHA Hypocrisy; F*** ICE

    F*** ICE. This bonus episode shares the stories of immigration and ICE occupation from Making it Awkward guests. Hear stories of immigrants in LA, what it's like to be on the ground in Minneapolis right now, and a story from a mom in Charlotte deliverying groceries to neighbors too afraid to leave their homes.  HCMC protest https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/breaking-the-news/hcmc-doctors-staff-protest-ice-impact-hospital-patients/89-3696c23f-6afb-44ea-8e02-7286543dabdd Smitten Kitten https://smittenkittenonline.com/ Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

    20 min
  5. Jessica's Monch Monch Ad & Dr. Robert Lustig's Fiber Fail

    22 JAN

    Jessica's Monch Monch Ad & Dr. Robert Lustig's Fiber Fail

    Jessica Wilson, MS. RD. made a social media ad for Dr. Robert Lustig's Monch Monch; a fiber supplement that's supposed to act like a sponge in our digestive tract. Now listeners get to hear the ins and outs of the partnership and about the supplement from top to bottom. Our favorite podcast editor Jen Jacobs returns to this side of the show to hear about the whole commercial making process, behind the scenes conversations, science claims, typos and product reviews. The two have a great time!  This episode includes product reviews from former guests on the show, from buyers on reddit and amazon, and Selena's kiddo in her commercial acting debut.  Listeners should stay tuned after the interview for more reviews and the full commercial!   Howie Mandel is a partner of Monch Monch Lustig's paper for the World Economic Forum Lustig's article in Frontiers Lustig's part 1 episode: "No Food is Better Than Bad Food"  Lustig's part 2 episode Biolumen  Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member for as little as $3/month!! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson   Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies  Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO. you can find me on IG at.

    1 hr
  6. The Manly Man's Inverted Food Triangle: Dissecting the Dietary Guidelines with Meghan Cichy MPH, RDN.

    15 JAN

    The Manly Man's Inverted Food Triangle: Dissecting the Dietary Guidelines with Meghan Cichy MPH, RDN.

    The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are out RFK Jr decided to give us an inverted food triangle and tell us it's a new and improved food pyramid. Dietitian and public health badass Meghan Cichy, MPH RDN returns to the show to discuss the new dietary guidelines and the focus on "real food". She walks Jessica through all of the public health language and limitations and also asks who all of this is for.  The two compare recommendations in old guidelines to the current ones, including protein serving sizes. The two chat about how RFK wanted to end corporate and industry influence and how there is still a tangled web of industry influence and private interest.  They get into how the guidelines discussed ultra-processed foods after promising us a definition.  The dietary guidelines speak directly to the MAHA movement; those who can pay for "real food," have the resources and time to cook dinner every night, and shop at farmers markets. MAHA does not care about the health of the public.  RFK tells us he is ending the war on protein and saturated fat. The guidelines also include a section on testosterone. He's given us a manly man's meat-focused inverted food triangle for the manosphere, dudefluencers and pod bros.  One of Meghan's concerns was how alcohol was addressed in the DGA.   Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

    1h 2m

  7. 8 JAN

    Thought Hygiene: Manifesting, Magical Thinking and OCD with Lindsay Lee Wallace

    Have you been thinking clean thoughts and manifesting for 2026? Lindsay Lee Wallace returns to the show to talk about the idea of thought hygiene, OCD, magical thinking and manifesting. Lindsay shares the highlights of the conversation she had with a manifestation coach and she brings her thoughts about wellness as a line item in your budget. Lindsay and Jessica start the episode with a discussion about Dr. Robert Lustig and his company's first product, Monch Monch, a supposed fiber sponge that soaks up sugar. A quick note that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is out and that will be next week's episode! Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

    49 min
  8. Childfree By Choice; Joyful, Unapologetic Childfree Women Frighten the Patriarchy

    1 JAN

    Childfree By Choice; Joyful, Unapologetic Childfree Women Frighten the Patriarchy

    Re-release! Chrissy King joins Jessica Wilson, MS RD for a conversation about being childfree by choice. Chrissy talks about how she made her decision and how Jessica didn't ever think it was a choice she needed to make. Chrissy got to share her thoughts on many things including the marketing of parenthood, the idea of it taking a village to raise a child and aging like the Golden Girls. The two talk about how they've been asked about their decision not to have kids 347 times but it's not the norm to randomly ask parents why they decided to have kids. They both talk about how much their moms poured into their upbringing and how that impacted how they viewed them and their decision not to have kids. They also talk about what it's like to live in a society in which parenthood, particularly motherhood, is the norm.  After wrapping this conversation Chrissy and I discussed the potential for backlash from this conversation and that parents might take our choices personally. Either way we'd love to hear your feedback! Motherhood Should Come with a Warning Label Childfree Reddit Chrissy King Chrissy's book

    56 min
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Trailer

About

What's going on with health and food policy right now? Each week dietitian and author Jessica Wilson shares her conversations with experts in their field or on their farm and figures out how we got here and why. Jessica has followed the ultra-processed food hysteria to trad wife pipeline and the direct path from COVID conspiracies to RFK Jr to the current administration. From her conversation with the Make America Healthy Again spokesperson to the Oregon beef farmer this podcast connects it all. Listen each week as she brings something new to the conversation and at times makes it awkward.

Information

  • Creator
    Jessica Wilson, MS RD
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    120
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jessica Wilson, MS RD
  • Show Website
    Making It Awkward

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